DIY Arduino or The DIY-Duino

To quote the Arduino website: “Arduino is an open-source electronics prototyping platform based on flexible, easy-to-use hardware and software. It’s intended for artists, designers, hobbyists, and anyone interested in creating interactive objects or environments.”

I got one a while ago and life has never been the same. Here is the official website for Arduino: http://www.arduino.cc/

There are a bunch of tutorials that show you how to build your own Arduino on a breadboard, called Hack-duinos or something similar. While these are handy, I prefer to use more solid electronic devices. So I build them with a home made PCB and solder all the components on there myself.

Some may say, “This task seems time consuming and a tad expensive… Why not just kerplunk the 30-some-odd bucks for an REAL Arduino?” Well, some of us enjoy the craziness of making something completely from scratch — and in doing so, learning more about the device you are using.

This tutorial will take you through all the steps of making your own printed circuit board(PCB), building an Arduino or “DIY-Duino” and loading your own programs/sketches onto the board you have built.

Step 1: Materials List — For All Steps

COMPLETE MATERIALS LIST You will find detail on these materials throughout the specific steps of this instructable.

Photo Paper High-quality photo paper with a glossy finish is the best to use.

Laser Printer Or copies from a place like Kinkos or Staples.

Fine grain sandpaper To rough up the board and make it able to absorb the pattern better.

Common, houshold tape For securing the pattern to the copper board

Piece of scrap cardboard This will be your makeshift ironing board.

Paper towels To put over your board before ironing.

Clothes Iron Use one you don’t mind being ruined. Chances are, it will get funky.

Plastic container To bathe your board in warm water after ironing.

Tweezers Not necessary, but can be helpfull for peeling off transfer remnants.

//——- ETCHING MATERIALS LIST ——-//Jug of Muriatic Acid You can get this at the hardware store.

Container of Laquor Remover Removes the toner once the pattern is etched. Also useful if you make mistakes on transfering your pattern. You can remove the toner and try again. You can get this at the hardware store

Container of Hydrogen Peroxide Any Grocery Store

Standard kitchen paper towels Use for the ironing, agitating the acid solution, and removing the toner with the lacquer remover

(2) Plastic containers (1 for the acid mixture, one to rinse, one to bathe the PCB in hot water)

Step 2: About making PCBs

Just as there are several ways to build your own Arduino, there are likely just as many, if not more, ways to create your own printed circuit board or PCB. This tutorial opens with an in-depth lesson on how to make your own. I’ve tried several methods of making PCBs, and what follows is a procedure that has worked the best for me. A little background first… People who are new to making their own PCBs often call this method “The Toner-Transfer Method”. When searching for how to make your own PCBs on the Net, this is the phrase that will often come up. However, those who have been making these for a while will correctly call it the “Gootee Method” — and the PCBs themselves are called “Gootee Boards”. The reason is this — the most in-depth documentation on how to etch your own PCB (at least that I know of) has been compiled and tested by Thomas Gootee.

Step 3: Transfering the Pattern – Materials

Photo Paper High-quality photo paper with a glossy finish is the best to use.

Clothes Iron Use one you don’t mind being ruined. Chances are, it will get funky.

Piece of scrap cardboard This will be your makeshift ironing board.

Arduino Pattern sheetDownload the Pattern file here You must use this file to ensure the proper resolution and size of the image. You don’t want to print and etch your board and have it be the wrong size.

Paper towels To put over your board before ironing.

Plastic container To bathe your board in warm water after ironing.

Common, houshold tape For securing the pattern to the copper board

Tweezers Not necessary, but can be helpfull for peeling off transfer remnants.

Fine grain sandpaper To rough up the board and make it able to absorb the pattern better.